Furnace.



G. G. THORP.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1914.

Patented June 29, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. G. THORP.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION men MAY 29. 1914.

l 144y511 PatentedJune 2 15.

I I 3 SHEETS-SH G. G.'THORP.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1914.

1, 1 44,5 1 l m Patented June 29, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

GEORGE Ct. THOBP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June29, 1915..

Application filed May 29, 1914. Serial No. 841,692.

To all'wkom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE G. THonP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heating furnaces and has particular reference to a novel axle heating furnace.

In thepractice of heating or reheating railway car axles in the manufacture thereof it has been the custom to allow the flame of the heating element to come in contact with the material composing the axles. This in itself is a serious detriment and a condition arises because of such practice which makes temperature control exceedingly difficult. It will be understood that if the axles are treated in a furnace in which primary combustion takes place, the opening of the furnace in order to insert or remove the axles causes an ingress of cold air which affects the control 'of the temperature and makes exact calculations based on heat changes practically impossible. That exact heat control in heat treatment is es sential is becoming to be well understood. A variation within a very small limit will cause a material change inthe molecular structure of the steel and produce an article much different and having much difierent characteristics from that which was originally intended.

In order to overcome difficulties heretofore experienced I have conceived the idea ofconducting the heat treatment of the axles in a retort, that is a space separated from the combustion chambers and which shall not permit the'ingress of atmospheric air when the chamber is opened to insert or remove the axles. I have found that by such a construction I am enabled to control the temperature within very small limits. Such a device is preferably provided with combustion chambers in the walls thereof, such chambers being arranged symmetrically aroundthe retort. By reason of such arrangement there need be no change in the fuel and air supply during the period of charging material to or drawing the same from the furnace. Thus it follows that the correct adjustment of the fuel and air sup ply may-bemade in order to secure the best results and this adjustment maintained without such changes as would necessarily follow the shutting off of the fuel supply to permit materials to be charged or drawn. I may prefer also to regenerate or recuperate the air employed for combustion.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a furnace constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a combustion chamber.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that I provide a foundation 10 on which a wall 11 is superposed. This wall, for the present purpose, may preferably be circular in outline as best shown in Fig. 3. It serves to outline the retort and incloses a central heating chamber or retort12 closed except at its top and provided with a cover 13 by means of which the atmosphere is excluded during the heating process.

Arranged in the wall 11 and symmetrically disposed in spaced relation around the retort 12 are combustion chambers 14, 14 divided by walls 15. The walls 15 encompass a pair of combustion chambers in the present construction, these chambers being sepa rated by a' further wall 16 which terminates at 17 near the top ofthe space leaving a passage thereover.

In the present construction I have provided for the regeneration of air and to-that end have located regenerators 18, 19 at one side of the furnace connectingone series of chambers 14 to one regenerator by means of the flue 20, and the other series of combustion chambers 14 to the regenerator 18 by means of the fine 21. The flues 20 and 21 communicate with the combustion chambers by means of short lines 22, 23, as best shown in Fig. 1. A simple reversing mechanism is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in which the air is admitted through the fiue 24; the connection to the stack being closed by the gate 25. A. similar construction is provided for the regenerator 18.

Gas or other combustible fluid is supplied to the lower end of each of the combustion chambers 1- by meansof the pipes 26, 27, the valves 28, 29 for controlling the same bein within reach of the operator and locate directly beneath a removable door construction herein shown and described.

It will be understood that while I have described my invention as being particularly applicable to the heating of car axles, the

construction will be found useful in other situations and for the materials.

I claim:

p 1. In a heating furnace, the combination of walls inclesing a heating chamber, a cover for said chamber whereby the same is normally closed to the atmosphere, pairs of vertreatment of other 'tical combustionchambers in said walls and surrounding said heating chamber, each pair.- of combustion chambers constitutin' a heating unit and said lpairs being'locate in jux "'taposition insaid .wall, and meansfor supplying a'con'ibustible fluid at the lower end of one of s'aidco'm'bustion chambers and discharging products ofcombustion'-from' the lower end of 'thefother of said combustion chambers, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a heating furnace, the combination of walls inclosing a substantially circular heating. chamber, -means-for closing said chamber totheatri1osphere and to the direct 1 action of the heating element, and pairs of Copies a: this patent may be obtained for combustion chambers s mmetrically located about said chamber in t e walls thereof, each pair of combustion chambers constituting a unit, a plurality of said units being located in juxtaposition and surrounding said heating chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a heating furnace, the combination of walls inclosing a heating chamber, means for closing said chamber to the atmosphere and to the direct action of the heating el'ement, pairs of combustion chamberslocated in said walls, regenerators, and means for re-' versing said regenerators and causing pri-'- mary combustion in alternate combustion chambers, substantially as described.

4. In a heating furnace, the combination of walls outlining a substantially circular heating chamber, means for closing said chamber to the atmosphere and to the direct action of the heating element, heating units in spaced relation in said walls, each unit consisting in a combustion chamber divided by, a vertical wall which wall terminates short of the top of said chamber, and means for supplying gas and air to said combustion chambers, substantially as described.

' 5. In a heating furnace, the combination of walls inclosing a chamber, a cover for closing said chamber to the atmosphere,

pairs ofcombustion chambers located in jux taposition in said walls, and'means for supplying a combustible fluid alternately to one of each of, said pairs of combustion chambers, substantially as described.

. GEORGE G. THORP.

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